Falling Skies: Of Scares and Sleeping
by iDon'tWanaLove
Summary: Hal crashes his bike and Tom worries. Part 1 of 4 pieces, not really connected to the main story line.


"Anne! Anne, how is he?"

Tom ran into the chem lab as fast as his legs could take him, almost slipping on some mud at one point, just to get him to the bedside of his eldest son Hal. The older boy lay on the bed motionless and covered in bandages that were slightly soaked with blood, Tom's eyes widened considerably before watering up at the sight; after everything he'd done to protect his boys' thus far, here lay Hal messed up from a bike accident.

"What happened Anne, he's never had a fall so bad. What went wrong?"

"He's been running a high fever ever since Dai and Anthony brought him in, the only thing i can think of that he passed out on the bike."

Tom's eyes shot from his son's broken body to Anne's in a flash; passed out? If he was tired then just riding would give him enough adrenaline to make it to some place safe, so how the hell could someone as experienced in riding as Hal have passed out?

"Tom, i think it was the fever that caused him to black out. I saw him before he left and he was acting kind of sluggish, no one said anything because all of the soldiers are but he stood out."

"I should have noticed, i was so concered over Ben's behavior that i didn't notice... I didn't notice him Anne.. and this is what happens."

Anne watched somberly before excusing herself from the room, mumbling about someone named Sam; Tom didn't mind, he actually prefered it to be honest. Right now, he just wanted to stay by his son's side, to be right there when he wakes up. Anne would come in every hour or so with another patient to mend or just to check up on Hal; she would always come with words of sympathy for the father, none really making him feel much better. Weaver came in at some point, he didn't say a word to Tom or Anne, he just sat next to the boy's bed with his owl-like eyes on Hal.

The morning came with it's taunting light stabbing at the father's eyes, he hadn't slept a wink due to his fear that Hal would wake up and he wouldn't be there. Ben walked into the makeshift hospital holding two bowls of oatmeal, one for his father and the other for his unconscious brother saying

"He'll wake up eventually and need something to eat, he's predictable like that.

With a chuckle and a distressed look left the room. Tom's thoughts raged as he looked at his oldest son's broken body; Anne had said that his left arm was broken and his legs were inconcevebly bruised, there were multiple deep lascerations all over his torso and he had a slight concussion. For having a motor bike thrown ontop of him and slamming into a couple trees, Hal was doing rather well. Tom could feel his eyes drooping more and more every second, that is until he heard a strained chuckle coming from Hal's bed.

"Hahaha, hey Dad i think you should go to sleep, you look kind of tired."

"Hal...Hal! How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

"For having a bike fall on me and crashing into a tree, i'm doing pretty good."

"You'd better be, we've come too far to lose you to a machine."

Hal forced a smile before closing his eyes again, trying to regulate his breathing and steady his mind; for some reason he'd thought that he would wake up to everyone being gone... his father being gone.

"For some reason, Dad, i thought that i'd wake up and be alone again."

"Again? Hal, what are you talking about? We've always been right here."

"Sometimes i have dreams, nightmares that i slept too long and couldn't save you or Ben or Matt; that i'd be my fault for not being awake. So lately i just stopped sleeping..."

Tom cradled Hal's face in his hands, staring down into his son's eyes intensly; his breath ecame short and his face red, how could he allow his son to feel this way?

"Hal, you listen and you listen good. There is no way that you will ever wake up and be alone because i'm always right here, right here, do you hear me? I never want you to feel like you can't take a break, like you can't relax because you might fail me; You. Could. Never. Do. That. You have to remember that i'm the father and you are the son, i am supposed to be the one protecting you."

"Dad, i just don't want you to have to worry about me. You have to think about Matt and Ben all the time, i didn't want to add another problem to all of that. i'm sorry."

"Don't you dare be sorry, just close your eyes and sleep."

"You'll be here when i wake up?"

"I'm always going to be here."


End file.
